NCIS has announced that Diona Reasonover will be stepping into the role previously held by Pauley Perrette, following Perrette’s departure from the long-running crime series. Diona, who has appeared as a guest star on the show as forensic scientist Kasie Hines, will now join the cast as a series regular, taking over from Perrette.
Pauley Perrette, who portrayed the beloved character Abby Sciuto since the show’s debut in 2003, revealed last year that she would be leaving NCIS. After her announcement, Pauley shared allegations of workplace harassment, which surfaced during the height of the #MeToo movement. Although she never named the individual involved, she mentioned being “bullied by a powerful man for way too long.”
In a series of tweets, Perrette expressed her inner conflict about not revealing more details. “Maybe I’m wrong for not ‘spilling the beans,’” she wrote. “Telling the story, THE TRUTH. I feel I have to protect my crew, jobs, and so many people. But at what cost? I don’t know. Just know, I’m trying to do the right thing, but maybe silence isn’t the right thing about crime. I’m… Just… ?”
She continued, “There is a ‘machine’ keeping me silent and feeding FALSE stories about me. A very rich, very powerful publicity ‘machine’. No morals, no obligation to truth, and I’m just left here, reading the lies, trying to protect my crew. Trying to remain calm. He did it.”
In response to the situation, CBS issued a statement to Vanity Fair acknowledging Perrette’s concerns: “Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on NCIS and we are all going to miss her. Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with a workplace concern. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows.”